There can be three situations under which healthcare organizations may need to sequester (or segregate) certain data within a medical record: placing a legal hold in connection with litigation, limiting disclosures of a record pursuant to a request by a patient, and restricting access to sensi....

Medical documentation and coding practices have undergone significant transformation in recent years. The cost of transcription, coder shortages, and an increasing emphasis on compliance have all played a role in moving the industry toward more efficient means of addressing....

A pioneering data exchange network shares lessons from its practice management software implementations-a first step in bringing physician offices online. Mark Foster, MD, waits for his Hudson Valley Primary Care staff to locate the medical record of his next patient. The Wa....

Increasingly, providers are resisting the temptation to customize software. Many have learned the hard way that unique modifications lead to unique costs and unique complications. We all like to think we’re special. But when it comes to implementing software, providers are usually b....

Northwest Health System followed a smooth launch of a coding product with something a little more ambitious—a beta version of a document management system. In April 2005 Northwest Health System in Springdale, AR, implemented Web-based coding to boost productivity. The system....

Test vignettes help evaluate how EHR products handle common documentation needs. For those who are braving the EHR selection process, there is a great deal of guidance available on how to organize this difficult process. The steady advance of technical standards, functional standard....